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Any updates. Has anybody made detailed trip plans for this weekend? If so, please share . .

Also, what is the best route to Mavelikkara/Alleppey from Bangalore?

Bangalore - Hosur : Not so good, due to the construction work going on.
Hosur - Krishnagiri : Please keep the accelerator pressed.
Krishnagiri - Dharmapuri - Thoppur : Lots of lane changes, as four laning is going on, but very much driveable. Lot better than the potholed nightmare it was before.
Thoppur - Mettur - Bhavani : Good road, beware of morons of the two-legged and two-wheeled variety who may cause a few heart-in-mouth situations, if travelling during day.
Bhavani - Coimbatore : You get to see your first serious potholes after leaving Bangalore, on this stretch. But they are far and in between, so panic not !
Coimbatore - Palghat : The worst of the lot. Broken roads, potholes, uneven surfaces - you find everything here.
Palghat- Thrissur(byepass) : Four laning work going, expect to switch lanes every now and then, otherwise no problem.
Thrissur - Angamaly - Kochi - Good roads, a few rough patches here and there.
Angamaly - Muvattupuzha - I wish Kerala Govt. would give the contact of all its roads to Pathibel company. Smooth as a baby's bottom. MC road, with it's curves, becomes so enjoyable to drive.
Muvattupuzha - Thodupuzha - Good road surfaces, exiting curves. Boy, I love this part of Kerala !
Other parts of MC road(Read Kottayam, Changanachery, Thiruvalla, Chengannoor, Adoor) are not as nice, but still good enough.

Did the cochin -CBE run twice this week. just got back from another.

its still better than last year's nightmare!and the shoulders are useful.I actually like this section!stupid:lots of overtaking oppurtunities.

I Agree

IMO, this was the worst of the lot, agreed the surfaces are smooth, but they are deteriorating fast, come july and you can kiss these roads goodbye, but the thing I hate about this section is that roads are narrow, there is no shoulder(dug up for 4 laning)traffic is heavy, and stupid overloaded lorries try to overtake each other at a snail's pace, bottling you up , forcing you to stare at family planning slogans for hours, painted on the back of these lorries by illiterates.

this section is gooood!

I do this section almost twice a month.
this section is even better! its the best! its the only reason I go to my in-laws' place!:)

all info in this post- up to date till 20th march 2008

huh! From @kuttappan's description, it looks like Bangalore - TCR stretch is bad again! I am planning to drive home on 4th April and it seems Sultan Battery or Nilambur route is better. Any updates on these routes?

@menonrajesh - No, Rajesh, it is nowhere comparable to the nightmare it was before. You can actually do this route, only need to be careful in a couple of places.

Hmm..your reassurance gives me a second thought.
but Kuttapa, you think the road is okay for night drive? I am planning to leave Bangalore around 4 PM.

I would say yes. I could do it comfortably in the night. FYI, I started at 9.p.m in the night and hit Kochi in 8 hours. My speeds were in the range of 80-120, I used to do the same stretch in 10-11 hours when the road were bad.

You can see your first potholes only after 250km from Bangalore.

Your trip to Kochi in 8 hrs - that too a night drive - speaks for the good condition of the roads. Thanks for the confirmation.

I would suggest you to leave Bangalore outskirts by 3am or so. Yes! You read it right, AM.
You'll be able to hit Cochin by 10am or so.

Yes Zak, I used to drive down early in the morning, 4ish or so, especially when my kids are also with me. But this time,I need to attend a function on saturday morning:Frustrati

Otherwise, starting early in the morning is the best possible thing.

I plan to travel to Kalpetta, Wayanad next weekend. Does anyone know the current condition of roads in the stretch Mysore-Gundalpet-Sulthanbathery-Kalpetta?

Nirmal

friends,

planning to travel to kochi on april 19th with my family .i havent driven such a long stretch before. my best till date is around 320 kms to and fro. its going to be a day drive. planning to start around 6am.

would like to know about the latest road condition(planning to take the route mentioned by kuttapan)

Mysore-Gundulpet - Good, except for a real bad patch somewhere in between(only a very short stretch).

Gundalpet - Sbathery - Most of the potholes have been filled, few remain, expect to drive over uneven surfaces till you reach the forest and the surprise !! Newly laid loads in the forest, making driving a breeze. As of last week, asphalting is going on, so expect to see some work, if it is not raining.

Bathery - Kalpetta : Good roads.

Just to clarify, what are the different routes from Mysore to Kochi?
1) Via Sathy
2) Via Sultanbathery
3) Via Bandipur forest.

Among these which has the least number of hairpin curves or any other difficult to drive terrain?
Thanks.

I don't know the route via Sathy.

I would suggest you take the route via Gudalur-Nilambur. The Nadukani/Nilambur ghat has less number of hair-pins and the road surface is excellent. I've taken this road many times.

A stretch of around 20 kms around Gudalur is bad in this route.

Regards
Rex